Colour!

[Catherine Kale]

Catherine Kale had become accustomed to not being bound by too tight a schedule. Aside from her lessons, she spent her time as she wished at home. Classes hadn't started yet, and she was enjoying getting to know the Castle. It felt homey-the common room reminded her of home, as did the forest. The common room was very cosy, and everybody seemed nice. Her mother had been a Hufflepuff, so Cat was glad to be like her. She'd brought her art supplies with her; they were safely stowed away in her case. When she'd woken that morning, the sun had been shining brightly, and she'd decided it was the perfect day to sketch. She'd wandered outside, not sure where to begin. The walk had brought her to the lake. The colours danced on the water, and she'd smiled at the effect. Water was hard to capture in an image, but she decided to try. She sat cross-legged by the shore, pencil in hand. The outlines she made were quite vague; she liked to have an outline before she began painting; The pencil was always very light. One she had a feel for what exactly she was doing, she unfolded her mini-easel and placed it in front of her, pulling out her paints and palette. The majority of the time, Cat was quite scattered. She constantly lost her possessions and damaged them. It was different with her art supplies. They were precious to her. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, and concentrated on the image that was forming in her mind. She started with a bass coat for the water, and sky. Blending would make it more realistic. The forest entered at the very edge of the picture, but the water and sky were the main focus.

For Cat, painting was a sort of escape. She became unaware of the world around her, not that she was ever particularly observant. The world was simpler when one captured it in an image, something beautiful. She would not finish this in one sitting, but she would have an idea of what to expect from the finished image. Perhaps she could send it to Mother and Father as a a Christmas present, if she had it finished. The brush felt like an extension of her own hand, and occasionally she would reach to brush a stray piece of hair from her face; smudging it blue and pink; depending on which aspect of the lake's reflective surface she was focusing on. The colours mesmerised her. She was in no way skilled enough to replicate such beauty, but she strived to become one who could capture something that mesmerising. When she examined the paintings of other artists, it mesmerised and disheartened her. She could never be that good. Regardless, she tried, and tried, and failed. Each attempt was better than the last though, and her understanding grew. If only making friends were as relaxing and calming as painting, or sketching.

 

[Lydia Warrick]

I hope you don't mind me joining this!

Lydia was feeling pretty good about this upcoming term. She'd always been the kind of girl to get nervous about certain things. Lydia was not really all that nervous but she didn't think she was the bravest or most confident. Though she felt like she was just good enough. Her fears or worries over this term, were just due to her homesickness. Something she had never gotten before while at Hogwarts, but then also she was only a second year and the previous year her brother had still be at the school. Offering what little comfort there was in being the younger of a sibling. Of course now mixed in with those feelings of worry and a tinge of sadness was the fact that despite her brother's reputation he could not overshadow her any more. She was able to now be herself and not worry about her brother finding out. She could become her own person and perhaps people would just assume that she had no relation to him. Lydia was feeling pretty good that morning. She was excited and happy, like most days, and the fact it was relatively nice made her even happier. She knew that it was still winter and that it was probably cold outside but, despite that Lydia had headed outside. The lakefront was one of her favourite places to go. It was just a nice area of the school to spend time in. Lydia had no problems with any of the areas of the school, but the fact she was a second year meant that she'd just about explored every part of the school that she could or was willing to so the outdoors was more of the time more interesting to her. She was always pretty happy about spending time outside. In the back of the young Hufflepuff's mind she was going to go to the pitch after a little bit. She was keen to get more practice in. She hadn't done so recently.

Lydia was in no rush, with no classes and nothing really to do she wasn't fussed about taking her time. These were good days. Without structure, without having to be anywhere. It was just easy for her to get lost in the time and just do whatever she wanted. It was just simpler than always having to be somewhere and always having to pay attention. She was studious, to a certain extent yes. She made an effort, but her passions lay elsewhere. On the pitch mostly. She just didn't like the fact that her entirely family had brains and she was the one who just preferred to live life a little more to the wind. She was as Lydia always thought a little more of a free spirit. Which was all she really needed to be. Lydia generally did enough to pass. and that was at times all the girl was looking for. As Lydia approached the lake front she noted a girl sitting in the spot she normally liked to sit in. Of course this didn't really bother Lydia she was seeing it more as an opportunity to perhaps make a friend. The hufflepuff girl could tell that the girl who was sat was in her house, but she wasn't sure she was in her year. It also seemed as Lydia got closer that the girl was doing something. It looked vaguely like painting or drawing of some sort. An artistic person. Lydia was not artistic in that way or any really. She was not gifted in painting or drawing. Nor even photograph as her brother had been. Lydia when she stood pretty close realised that she might want to alert the girl she was near. So, Lydia coughed loudly, hoping to not overly startle the girl. She brushed a few stray strands of her long brown hair from her face. Lydia had the same shade of hair colour as her family, but had inherited her mother's blue eyes rather than her fathers. "hello" she spoke to the girl as she got closer, and was finally able to look at what the girl was doing. "You're really good!" she didn't mean to sound surprised but she was. This girl was good. Most kids she knew were all terrible. "I didn't mean sound so surprised, that's just far far better than anything I might've done" Unlike most of her family having spent the most amount of time in New Zealand Lydia had the least thick American accent. Hers was barely noticeable, hers was much more a Kiwi accent. "I'm Lydia"
​

 

[Catherine Kale]

Emziiiieeessss!!!!!!!

Cat was in another world as she painted. The colours weren't blending the way she meant them to. So often she was frustrated by her own work; she could never quite match the image she had in her mind when she began. She frowned to herself as she once more tried to create the idea of a shadow cast by the trees, but it just wasn't working. Mrs. Hudson would be able to tell her what was wrong. The lake was so beautiful, but for some reason she couldn't replicate that beauty. Her imagination outweighed her skill by far. The sound of a voice shocked her back into reality, and she quickly started to cover the painting. She didn't want people to see how badly she was doing. It wasn't finished, and it wasn't right. She hadn't even filled the small canvas; just the outline of the lake was done, with a base coat and some basic shading that would shame Mrs. Hudson if she saw it. She couldn't put it away though, not until it had dried. Breathing deeply, she turned to face the voice. "Hi." she smiled nervously, facing the girl and standing. She was older than Lydia; she assumed, since she wasn't a first year. The compliment startled her, and her jaw dropped. "Um... th-thank you." she replied, her Scottish accent far stronger when she was nervous. "I'm, y'know it's um- it's not finished yet. My teacher says I need to work on my blending and I thought this'd be good, and well I-I need to practice y'know if I'm ever gonnae be really- really good y'know?" she babbled, her eyes wide. This was it, this was her opportunity to make a friend!


When the girl commented on her surprise, Cat laughed "I'm sure tha's not true!" she exclaimed, "My brother is terrible; he used send me pictures when he was in Hogwarts, and they were terrible, but he tried and....." she stopped, realsiing she was babbling. How much was one supposed to talk to someone. How long were sentences supposed to be? "He was a Gryffindor, but I'm a Hufflepuff. My Mummy was a Hufflepuff too." she added, biting her lip. Why couldn't she just stop talking. when the girl introduced herself, Cat smiled; a smile full of innocence and hope. "That's so pretty! I donnae like my name. Catherine. I prefer being called Cat though. It was my Granny's middle name; Mum's mum, and so Mum named me it because she died two years before I was born." Again she was giving too much information. "I am sorry, I'm just not really used to-I mean- I'm just- We don't live near other people. It's just me and Mum and Dad and Liam and Gran, and the jockeys..." realising again that she was babbling, she clamped her mouth shut, her face turning crimson. Her pale face never hid her frequent blushes, and as she began to blush she became more embarrassed, and more red. "I am sorry." Now she'd gone and ruined it and Lydia would probably leave.

 

[Lydia Warrick]

It hadn't occurred to Lydia that the other girl might not want other people looking at her work. Perhaps it was because one of Lydia's talents lay in quidditch and really quidditch was for all to see when she played. It had never occurred to her to be anything other than confident about her abilities in it or else she wouldn't be able to play. perhaps that was the same but likely important difference. However Lydia did not have much time to consider such a thing, instead now that she was essentially beside the girl her mind could not think of any way that this other girl could be embarrassed by what she was doing. It was why the thought never entered the Hufflepuff's head. It even appeared that her compliment about it startled the younger of the two. Lydia couldn't help but just smile warmly at her. Lydia wasn't the best at art, but her mother had always taught her to appreciate it whenever she came across it. She listened as the girl spoke, taking about how it wasn't finished yet and that her teacher said she needed to work on her blending. Lydia wondered if this was a muggle school that she'd been to before that had taught art or a private tutor. Lydia didn't know the girl's blood and the last year had told her to never assume that about a person, because it was likely to be wrong. "Practice makes perfect!" she said in agreement, Lydia said the same about quidditch. She practiced hard and almost everyday to be sure that she would be the best and never let her team down. She smiled happily, "You're already pretty good! So, keeping on practicing will make you even better!"

Lydia listened once more as the other girl spoke. It appeared she too had an older brother, though where clearly, the younger of the two was more talented it was the opposite in Lydia's case. Lydia felt pretty flattered that despite this girl never having seen any of her drawings to assume that she was better than her brother. It was as the girl continued speaking without too many breaks in her speech that Lydia realised that she wasn't from New Zealand, there was definitely no hint of Kiwi accent on this girl. Though Lydia couldn't really place it. Someone else on the quidditch team had an accent not unlike hers, but Lydia didn't know where he was from either. The girl introduced herself as Cat, and then complained about it not being a nice name. Though, Lydia would've complemented her on her name, because she did think it was nice, she decided to not considering the other girl's reasoning for not liking it. Lydia then got a little confused the girl seemed to be apologising. Though Lydia had no idea why she'd do such a thing. "Cat, it's fine don't apologise!" she said brightly. "It's nice to meet you. My brother was also in Gryffindor. I'm a hufflepuff too." she told her with a friendly smile. "My mother attended Salem and they don't have houses," Lydia added, it had taken her a few moments to think about it. "Are you a first year?" the hufflepuff asked, seeing as Lydia was sure that she'd never seen Cat before today. "I'm a second year. Where are you from?" she asked her her curiosity clear in her tone. She hoped the girl wouldn't mind the direct questions. It seemed like just the right way to move the conversation along in the beginning stages. That and she was sure that more direct question may perhaps stop this girl from rambling so much.
​

 

[Catherine Kale]

Catherine blushed as she realised that she perhaps wasn't being particularly gracious. Her mother always told her that if one was complimented, one should accept the compliment graciously. Thankfully, the girl was smiling, so perhaps she had missed Cat's slip. She was really very pretty; she would be good to draw, though people were hard. She was okay when it came to eyes, but the less distinct features were very hard. She was glad when the girl didn't contradict her, and advised her to practice. It would stop her from blushing again maybe. "That's what Mummy says." she smiled, intertwining her fingers in front of her, glad she had managed to stick to one sentence. She didn't want to scare the girl away. Cat was very much still a child. She'd led a very sheltered life, as her parents saw fit. She had no real experience of the world, so talking to other children was fairly new to her. Lydia seemed nice though, and she was a Hufflepuff. Liam had told her that most Hufflepuff's were nice. Cat knew that sometimes she wasn't nice, but she tried her hardest to be kind. Being in Hufflepuff would help her with that.

Once she had finally paused for breath, she heard the girl speak. She grimaced as the girl told her not to apologise; Gran always told her she apologised far too much. "Sorry." she replied, without thinking, and her hand flew to her mouth. "I didn't mean to say that!" she giggled, laughing into her palm. "Salem? In America? Wow." she replied, eyes wide as saucers. She'd never travelled; this was her first time out of Britain. "Yes I am, I'm eleven. My brother just graduated, so we won't be in school at the same time which is a shame. Do you miss your brother?" she answered Lydia's question and added one of her own, noticing that she had used the past tense about her brother. She wasn't surprised when Lydia said she was a second year. She had assumed she was older, as she hadn't noticed her at the sorting ceremony. "Ah- I'm from Scotland." she smiled, proud of her country. "I would've gone to Hogwarts there, but Mummy was born in New Zealand and wanted us to come here,. Daddy didn't mind." She added, realising it probably seemed odd that she came to school here. "Where are you from Lydia?" she asked, far more relaxed now. She promptly sat down, and patted the grass beside her, looking up at Lydia. "The lake is so pretty isn't it? I would like to swim in it, but Liam says there is a Giant Squid which would be scary." She commented, picking a daisy from the grass and sticking it behind her hair absent-mindedly. "Lydia, do you have friends here?" she asked, unaware that it might sound odd to use someone's name so excessively. She couldn't wait to make as many friends as possible. "I want to make lots and lots. I have none at home, because there are no other children. There are muggles in the village close by, but Mummy and Daddy thought I was too young to be trusted not to let something slip about magic. I do go to ballet, but we're not supposed to talk during class and all the others went to school together." she added, rambling slightly again. She probably shouldn't have said that, but it had popped into her head and Cat tended to say what she thought; she was painfully honest at times. When her parents caught her out at night, she would tell them plainly that she'd gone out to try and see if the horses slept standing or lying down. Deceit was not in her nature.

 

[Lydia Warrick]

It was at what the girl said about her mother that caused Lydia to smile even more. It sounded just like her own mother. Always practice to be perfect. Lydia believed it whole heartedly but that didn't stop it from being funny that it was from her own mother that she'd first heard the phrase being used. "That's what my ma says too" she smiled happily at the other girl. Lydia had been raised in a situation where her parents had been very protective of her. She was their baby as they always said, she was the most sheltered of her family. She knew her older brother had experienced far more freedoms in his childhood than she ever had, though she was not particularly annoyed about it really. She loved her parents and towards the end of her time at muggle school before Hogwarts she'd been allowed to a certain extent to grow a little independently from her own family. At telling this girl, Cat to not apologise the girl apologised again. Lydia laughed, finding it pretty funny but knowing that was really the only thing most people said in that situation. It was good that the other girl Cat laughed too. Lydia didn't want to be the only one laughing. She didn't want to appear to being mean to the other girl. At the girl's clear awe she couldn't help but smile and nod. Though she didn't delve into her family history just yet. Having just met the girl she knew to just be wary of the things she said. She didn't want to over share and scare the younger of the two away. It was a good thing therefore that this girl seemed to talk far more than she had ever. Though it was not something that bothered Lydia in the slightest in fact, she almost welcomed it. It was a nice change from the norm.

The girl was 11, so a first year and her brother had just graduated, so that meant that Cat and Lydia's brother had been in the same year. "My brother just graduated too." she told the other girl happily. "Yeah I miss him, but I have other family at Hogwarts so I can go to them if I miss him too much" she had a little bit forgotten about Ailsa and Stefan. Her cousins both from different sides of the family, Ailsa from her mothers, Stefan from her fathers. It wasn't really like Lydia was without family while at Hogwarts. With another cousin arriving in the following year she really wasn't without. "Do you think you'll feel sad about not having your brother with you here?" she wasn't looking to make the girl sad or anything, but Lydia was genuinely curious. While she knew she'd miss her brother, she was glad to be on her own too. At the mention of where Cat was from, she was just in awe. Scotland, that was really far. Her own home, well her original home was far also, just not to the same extent. "Wow, that's really cool, do you miss it?" The question was then returned to Lydia who pondered it for a moment. She was technically from America, but she didn't feel American. She didn't remember it much. Her family had not been back since, and she had nothing there for her. "Well, I was born in America, in Georgia, but my family moved to New Zealand when I was 5. I don't really remember America, so New Zealand is more my home" Lydia didn't really know why they'd moved. She'd been too young to understand it and now things were far more settled and they were all happy there had been no reason to really tell her, so her parents reasoned. Lydia watched the girl take a seat and then sat down beside her, sorting her hair so it all fell over one shoulder.

The Hufflepuff looked out at the lake. She liked here. New Zealand and Hogwarts were the best places for her. She just really, really enjoyed it. Glancing back at the other girl she had to laugh at the statement. A giant squid? This was hogwarts so parts of her could believe it, but still. She knew there were merpeople and things like that. But giant squids. The next question caught Lydia even more off guard, did she have many friends. "Um" Lydia was unsure how to answer, she didn't have many friends, she'd stick to herself a lot of the time. Thankfully before Lydia could really answer the other girl started speaking. "You seem pretty trustworthy, and least here you don't have to hide, so I'm sure you'll make plenty friends" Lydia said with encouragement in her voice. "You've already made one friend. Soon you'll have plenty!" Lydia was referring to herself. Perhaps they'd just met, but she counted this girl as a friend.
​

 

[Catherine Kale]

"Really? Wow, that's strange." she smiled as Lydia mentioned her mother. Cat had never known much about the rest of the World; the fact that it was a common phrase was not known to her. She wasn't aware of her own ignorance though, and while she was trying hard to fit in, she still found it hard to actually approach people. "You know, you're very pretty." she blurted out without thinking. She was certainly prettier than Cat, with her tiny mouse-face. the only think Cat really liked about herself. She had her mother's hair, and her eyes. Daddy always said she was a carbon copy of her, but that didn't make sense. Her Mum was beautiful, and sallow and tall. Cat was tiny and looked so much younger than her age. This girl was everything that she was not. It didn't really occur to Cat not to say what she thought; she always said what she thought. It could prove problematic, but considering the fact that the things she thought were usually positive, situations where it was a bad thing were rare. The fact that Lydia laughed with her shocked Cat. She wasn't funny. She could never tell jokes properly, and her mother always pretended to laugh when she did. She claimed she wasn't pretending, but Cat knew better. She couldn't believe the other girl thought it was funny.

Cat couldn't believe Lydia had other family at Hogwarts. Both her parents were only children, and so she had no cousins. She knew no other children, not really. Lydia's question was an easy one for Cat to answer. "Yes! Liam is my favourite person. I missed him terribly when he went to Hogwarts, and I wanted to go with him, and now I'm here and he's at home. I'll only get to see him at holidays." The thought made her frown. It wasn't fair that she never got to see her big brother anymore. "Will you miss your brother?" she asked, curious. As far as she was concerned, if you had siblings, you had to be close to them, and so she expected Lydia's answer would be similar to her own. The next question too, was an easy one. "Yes, it's very warm here. I miss our castle, and my Gran, and the ponies. It's very strange. I've never been away from home before." It was true. New Zealand almost felt like another planet. "Wow. So you must know all about this place then." she replied. Her own Mother had left New Zealand for Scotland when she was young, and she'd missed New Zealand very much, but Lydia said she didn't remember America, which made sense to Cat.

Cat hoped against hope that Lyida would be her friend. She'd never really had one before, so she couldn't know when someone became a friend as opposed to someone you just knew. She realised her question was probably a bit personal, and blushed. "Sor-" she murmured, before remembering Lydia had told her to stop apologising. The next sentence out of the third year's mouth made Cat's jaw drop. "Really? You mean it? We're friends!" she exclaimed. They were friends! This was totally new for Cat. She'd never had a friend before, and didn't really know how to react. "I've never had a friend before." she was still gaping at the girl. She couldn't wait to tell Liam. She felt like dancing, but felt that mightn't be the best, and most appropriate response.

 

[Lydia Warrick]

Upon hearing what Cat said Lydia couldn't help but think of it as a really normal and commonly used phrase not as something unique. She'd heard plenty of people say it, however, Lydia also didn't think it was right of her to just decide that she was going to tell the girl that it was common. She didn't think the girl would mind too much but it was still something she had no interest in doing, this was the beginning of a friendship and the Hufflepuff girl had no intention of insulting her new friend even by accident. Even at that, if she had wanted to say something it likely would've been interrupted by the girl blurting out something that really took Lydia by surprise. Her cheeks flushed a deep red and felt like she suddenly couldn't meet this girls gaze so she just looked down at the ground between them and smiling a little while picking at the grass, she was now pretty shy about it. She didn't think she was particularly pretty. She didn't think it mattered and did not really concern herself with her appearance, throwing on whatever was closest and cleanest. "Thank you" she replied politely, glanced back up at this girl with a small and shy smile. "You are too" Lydia responded thinking it only right that she too compliment this girl. After all, she did think the girl was pretty so it was not a lie. The words felt a little foreign on her tongue she was always pretty bad at taking compliments when it came to her appearance. She could take them when they were about her studies, or quidditch things she was confident in but this was about appearance, that she wasn't confident in. Subconsciously Lydia was trying to act prettier, smile more and she couldn't help but run her hands through the end strands of her hair. Thankfully, the conversation moved away from that, and to the topic of their brother's. In Lydia's mind it was likely that their brothers had at the very least known of one another perhaps they may have even been friends.

The concerns this girl was voicing about not being able to go with her brother to Hogwarts, and the switch now, was exactly the same as her concerns. She had obviously spent a year at school with him, but with NEWTs and everything it had been tricky to say the least. Of course she wasn't without family at Hogwarts but it would've been nice to spend some time with her big brother. "Yeah, I'll miss him but, I'll see him at all the holidays. Also, with two of my cousins at Hogwarts, I'm not alone if I start feeling homesick" Lydia grinned happily at her, not thinking that she would ever get homesick but happy and safe in the knowledge that she had a fairly solid support system. It did not surprised Lydia all that much to hear that this girl had rarely been away from home. Not that Lydia could tell if someone was sheltered after just meeting them but this girl didn't seem to hide it much, though likely it was not something she knew she was doing. Her wording was strange, did she really live in a different castle? That wasn't a normal house. Perhaps this girl was pretty well off or maybe all people in Scotland just lived in castles. "I know a lot, New Zealand is pretty amazing. It's probably really different but it's really lovely." She smiled happily at her. As much as she had been born somewhere else, her only real memories were of this place. This country not the one she was originally from and unlike the rest of her family she barely sounded out of place. Lydia thanked muggle primary school for that. At the girls words about being friends, the young Hufflepuff girl couldn't help but laugh. "Of course" she replied the smile not fading from her face as she watched this girl who was clearly pleased about having made a friend. "I'm happy to be your first friend." Lydia looked around her and found a small flower within the grass. She reached over and plucked it out. "Here, a token of our new friendship" It was cheesy but this was a good and happy occasion, she was allowed to be as such. "Do you like quidditch?"
​

 

[Catherine Kale]

Cat#s intensive tutelage on etiquette had not gone unnoticed, though at times she simply forgot to behave as her mother instructed. She knew how to accept a compliment, even if she mightn't agree with what people were saying. So, she appreciated Lydia's accepting her compliment, and empathised with her blush. Cat was familiar with blushing, as pale as she was. So, in response to Lydia's returned compliment, she smiled and politely answered "Thank you, you are very kind." she'd often encountered people who'd called her a "pretty little girl." Mostly, they were her parent's friends. She didn't really agree, she wished she were less pale, and taller. She couldn't imagine that Lydia wouldn't think herself pretty. She looked like a princess. Cat had read about Princesses, and there was one called Leia in Liam's favourite film. She'd watched Star Wars with him a few times, but didn't really understand the story. Liam loved it though, so she watched it with him. "Have you seen the muggle film Star Wars?" she asked, turning her head swiftly to look at Lydia. "I don't really get it, but it is the only muggle film I have seen." she admitted, pursing her lips. She didn't know if Lydia was a muggleborn or a pureblood, or what, but she was curious. She'd never met someone who knew very much about the muggle world before. It would be interesting to learn more about it, if she could. She'd heard some muggle music that her parents liked, and her brother was named after a muggle singer. Liam told her she could take a class about muggles in third year, but that felt like a very long time away for an eleven year old girl for whom time seemed to pass at an impossibly slow rate.

"You have cousins! Lucky! I have none, my parents are only-children, and I only have Liam." she wished she had relatives, or rather more relatives. Her family was close, but everyone was older than her. Even Liam was gone beyond her now. He was seven years her senior; his life was very different to hers now. Cat founShe knew she'd get lost, and confused. So far all she'd figured out was the lower floors. All the staircases moved! While fascinating, it did cause inconveniences. "It is much warmer here." Cat replied, nodding sagely as Lydia spoke about New Zealand. "I suppose it mightn't be for people who live here, but I'm used to it being much colder. I like that it's warm here; I can wear dresses more." she added, fingering the edge of her sleeve. She did think she would miss Scotland though; the early mornings that were crisp and cold, but oddly beautiful. She loved the taste of the morning back home, as though the day were new and full of possibilities.

When Lydia responded positively, Cat's smile broke into a smile and she clasped her hands together. She was incapable of speech, and simply grinned widely as Ludia handed her a flower. She held it between her fingers like a precious pearl and immediately decided to ask one of the older students to put a spell on it to preserve it. for the time being, she slipped it behind her ear, knowing it would stay in place due to years of decorating her hair with wildflowers. "Thank you very much Lydia. I have never had a friend, but I promise I will try my best to be a good friend and to be nice, and kind." she promised solemnly. Father always said a promise was a serious thing, and one should not be undertaken lightly. Lydia's question gave her pause. "I like watching quidditch, Mummy took me to see the Holyhead Harpies last year, but I don't think I'd be very good at it. My brother was a beater when he went here. Do you play?" she asked, resting her hands in her lap and trying her hardest to be an attentive listener. The idea of having a friend made her nervously excited, and very conscious of the responsibility being someone's friend placed on you.

 

[Lydia Warrick]

The girl, Cat, seemed to take Lydia's compliment well, as if she was well versed in accepting compliments which Lydia thought was a pretty good trait to have. The older hufflepuff girl knew that she didn't always take compliments well and those specifically to do with her appearance were the ones she took least well. There was just something about them that made Lydia blush and feel too embarrassed to say anything, getting out the words thank you were a struggle. She only barely managed to say something in return. Which was why her bright blue eyes had been downcast at the compliment, unsure of what else she could do. She was glad when therefore that this girl had taken the compliment she'd returned and had then moved conversation along from that. Lydia felt her body relax slightly in relief and she brushed some strands of her hair out of her face tucking them neatly behind her ear. Listening as the girl asked if she'd seen a muggle film called Star Wars. While Lydia had been raised with a muggle father in a largely muggle home she hadn't seen it but the name rang a quiet bell in her head. As if she should maybe know what it was. It was probably something she'd heard her muggle father talking about, though it rung no bells in her head other than being a little bit familiar. "I haven't seen it" she told her with a smile, trying to figure out why she'd been asked the question. Leaving out that it sounded familiar to her, it wouldn't matter she still didn't know what it was. It was just something she was sure she'd heard before. At that it might just be her mind saying that she knew it for the sake of trying to please this girl. She wondered why the question had been posed and what this girl's line of thought had been to lead her to saying it, what did it have to do with compliments. "Why do you ask? Is it good?" she asked her with a tone of curiosity, just interested to find out more about this girl and this film. Her mind not lingering on the fact that she might be a muggleborn witch. Blood had never mattered to Lydia.

Lydia loved her extended family as much as she loved her immediate family, sure, she hadn't seen some of them in a long while but that didn't stop her feeling love for them. There were members of her extended family that just felt like immediate family. She had family at Hogwarts which she was happy about. She had family in many places of the world, half of it magical the other half not. Her family was perhaps not the largest of family but it definitely wasn't a small family. She was glad that despite the absence of her brother at school, she had others to fall back upon if things were going badly or she was having a rough day. It made her feel a little bad that this girl didn't have any other family. It must be a little bit lonely. Her cousins were just like having extra siblings in her mind and Lydia was close with all her siblings. "I'm sorry. If you want, I can introduce you to some of my cousins? I don't mind sharing them." she told her without obviously consulting her cousins, she couldn't be sure of the fact that they wouldn't mind but the ones at Hogwarts wouldn't mind at all. Her oldest cousin Stefan wouldn't mind at all, and she could sway Ailsa to it. Lydia knew that she would always have someone at Hogwarts to talk to, she wanted this girl to feel the same in a way. Even if there was no biological relation it didn't mean this girl would be without people to . She liked hearing about how this place differed from the girl's home. It was interesting to her that that was the case. Lydia knew that Scotland wasn't a warm place, she knew that from what Ailsa had told her, but it was nice to hear it from someone else also. Lydia watched as the girl with a bright smile as she took the flower Lydia had handed to her and tucked it behind her ear. It was always a good thing to be nice to people. Or well, Lydia believed this to be so. It was likely why she was a hufflepuff and not in any of the other houses. At Cat's words Lydia just grinned happily, she was sure that they'd be good friends, and she didn't doubt that this girl would be a good friend to her. "We'll be the best of friends" she told her with an encouraging grin. Lydia was just as excited about making a new friend as she was sure Cat was. Her bright blue eyes clearly showed the excitement that she was feeling.

Lydia had moved the topic on to quidditch, just as a way of keeping the conversation moving. Friends knew things about one another. More so than others did. She wanted to be this girl's friend and was happy to try to get to know her more. Upon hearing that she'd been to a game, Lydia had to be excited and outwardly show this. She loved quidditch, but had never seen a game, not unless the school games counted as one. Never having had the money for it. But, she made up for it by playing. "That's so cool. I've never seen a game, I mean other than school ones" she told her enthusiastically. "I'm on the house team, I'm a keeper" she told her proudly, unable to mask the tone of pride in her voice. She loved playing. Lydia played whenever she could enjoying the thrill of it. "I'm sure you're great at playing" she told her, "My brother used to play as well, he was the Gryffindor captain and he always said to me that everyone who tried could be great as long as they put in the time and effort" Lydia had not been great at playing when she'd first learn, but under the guidance of her brother she'd improved and could now play well.
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